Sergio Aguero has thrown his support behind Florian Wirtz - insisting that the struggling Liverpool star will soon become "vital" for the Reds. The 22-year-old Germany international has endured a tough start at Anfield following his £116million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in June.

Despite making 16 appearances for Arne Slot's champions, Wirtz has yet to find the back of the net. Although he has managed three assists - two in the Champions League and one in the FA Cup - his inconsistent performances have seen him regularly rotated with Cody Gakpo in the starting line-up.

However, former Manchester City striker Aguero is confident it's only a matter of time before Wirtz hits his stride and becomes a key player for Liverpool.

READ MORE: Florian Wirtz told he could be axed in January transfer window amid Liverpool woes

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In a chat with Stake, Aguero shared his view on Wirtz: "It's hard to give advice. Players have different personalities and their adaptation times vary. Some adapt quickly and others need more time. But I have no doubt he will settle. Great players - and Wirtz is one - sooner or later settle and become vital in their teams."

Aguero's words came shortly after ex-Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann suggested that Wirtz could be loaned out during the January transfer window.

"Could Florian Wirtz still leave Liverpool on loan in January? Yeah," Hamann said. "Obviously with all the help and all the protection from the club and the manager, if you bring somebody in for that amount of money, then maybe he should be the one, even though he's still very young, then maybe you expect him to turn things around.

"I don't think, the way he's playing at the moment, I'm not sure he's capable of doing that. And when I watch him sometimes, you know, thinking, has he lost belief because it is in the Premier League?

"Sometimes when I watch him when he loses possession, I'm thinking maybe it's because it's a lot quicker, a lot more physical, as if he were to say; 'I'm not sure that's for me'."

"I hope I'm wrong, but this is how it looks to me.

"Sometimes if it's going on for too long, you know, it's very hard to turn it around."

Alongside discussing Wirtz, Aguero also weighed in on Mohamed Salah and the Egyptian's current goal drought. The 33-year-old has found the net just five times across 18 appearances this campaign.

"Never doubt a great goal-scorer," Aguero continued. "Salah has a great scoring average and I'm sure he'll get back to his rhythm. I think he was affected by his team not having the best start. And a player can't do everything alone."

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